This invention relates to the art of rotary cutters, and, more particularly, to a cutter for cutting oval or circular holes in sheet materials such as adhesive backed pads sometimes referred to as stomahesive pads which are frequently used by those who have had Ilyostomy or Collostomy operations for purposes of attaching a bag or the like to the abdomen.
Whereas the invention is described herein with respect to cutting holes in such stomahesive pads or the like, it is to be appreciated that the invention has broader applications and may be used in various applications requiring the cutting of oval shaped or circular holes in sheet material.
Patients who have had Ilyostomy or collostomy operations utilize such stomahesive pads for purposes of attaching a bag or the like to the abdomen. Depending on the nature of the operation, the patient has drainage holes of varying sizes and shapes. Consequently, each patient needs to provide a similarly shaped and dimensioned aperature in a stomahesive pad. It has been common in the art for such patients to use scissors and the like for performing the necessary cutting operations.
A rotary cutter known in the art for use by such patients takes the form of that disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,913, to D. S. Nicholson. Nicholson teaches a rotary cutter for cutting holes in sheet material, including self-adhesive pads of the type used by patients who have had Ilyostomy and collostomy operations, wherein the sheet material is mounted on a base and a rotary cutter is mounted on a frame and is pivoted in hinge like fashion to the base and wherein the cutter is adjustable so that holes of different sizes may be made. However, this cutter construction does not permit the operator to exert downward pressure on the cutting blade as it is being rotated to assist in cutting operations. Additionally, whereas Nicholson does provide a scale for use in adjusting the size of a cut to be made, only one scale is provided leaving the operator to guess on the adjustment for different sizes. The manner in which the blade assembly is mounted to the frame or cover is cumbersome, particularly with respect to disassembly for cleaning and the like.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved rotary cutter adapted for use in cutting holes or the like in sheet material and which overcomes the foregoing and other problems encountered with prior art such as that noted in Nicholson, supra.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary cutter having an axially movable shaft permitting downward pressure to be exerted on the cutting blade during cutting operations and yet permitting the blade to be raised above and free of the material being cut.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a rotary cutter having an adjustable blade assembly held in position to the shaft by means of a thumb screw which extends through the shaft center whereby no tools are required for adjusting the blade position and, hence, hole size.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a plurality of measurement scales in relief so that the operator, whether blind or not, may conveniently adjust the blade assembly for different sized cuts.
In order to achieve the foregoing and other objects of the present invention, the rotary cutter includes a structure incorporating a base having a flat upper surface for supporting the sheet material to be cut. A cover is pivotally mounted to the base for movement between a lowered closed position where overlies the upper surface of the base and a raised open position. The cutter mechanism is mounted to the cover for performing cutting operations when the cover is in its closed position. The cover incorporates a bearing structure which serves to rotatably mount a shaft having one end extending into a cavity between the cover and the base and the opposite end of the shaft located externally of the cover. A blade arm is carried by the shaft within the cavity and extends radially outwardly therefrom. A blade is mounted to the blade arm and extends downwardly toward the base for purposes of cutting holes in sheet material located on the base when the shaft is rotated. A rotary driving means, such as a crank arm, extends from the opposite end of the shaft for imparting rotary movement to the shaft for performing the cutting operations. The shaft is rotatably mounted in the cover in such a manner to permit rotary movement of the shaft about its axis as well as axial movement. Thus, as the shaft is being turned, an axial force may be imparted by the operator causing the cutting blade to trace an arcuate downward path while cutting the sheet material. This also permits the blade to be raised above and free of the sheet material during a noncutting operation.